It came as a second atrocity and terror attack for Spain after 13 people were killed and 80 injured after a van ploughed into pedestrians in Las Ramblas, Barcelona on Thursday afternoon (August 17).

Kin Ryu Judo Club, who train at K2 Crawley, were taking part in a tough five-day training camp with coaching from some of Europe’s top coaches, including former GB 2012 Olympian Winston Gordon and former World and European Champion Craig Fallon.

Coach Lisa Harrison, 36, an occupational therapist, of Southwater Close, Ifield, Crawley, said: “The camp went well and would have been like any other had it not been for the events in the early hours of Friday morning, when the quiet town of Cambrils was shaken by a terrorist attack.

“We were staying only about 100 metres from the marina where the shooting took place and had been eating dinner opposite the scene about an hour earlier.

The scene in Cambrils after the terror attack

“Fortunately the athletes had been training hard all day and were tired as a result, so all eight of us headed back off the beach and to our

apartments shortly before 11pm.

“There were armed police out on the streets and we assumed this was due to heightened security following the attack in Barcelona the previous day.

“As we were getting ready for bed we heard some screaming outside and a strange noise at the end of the road.

“As the town was quite lively we thought it was people still enjoying their evening. The first we knew was the following morning when I received a text from the camp organisers checking we were all OK and what the plans were for the day.

“We heard that some of the judo coaches had been caught up in the attack and Winston had been injured.”

Lisa said she and coach Claire Bowie, 46, who was also on the trip, brought the athletes together to tell them what had happened but they were ‘determined to continue camp’.